London’s “Sculpture in the City” Presents Public Art by Damien Hirst, Ai Weiwei, and More

For five years in a row, the open air exhibition “Sculpture in the City” has brought some of the best contemporary artists to the public in London. Opening this week on July 9th, this year’s installment will feature new works by Ekkehard Altenburger, Bruce Beasley, Adam Chodzko, Ceal Floyer, Laura Ford, Damien Hirst, Shan Hur, Folkert de Jong, Sigalit Landau, Kris Martin, Keita Miyazaki, Tomoaki Suzuki, Xavier Veilhan, and Ai Weiwei. The exhibit merges the new with the old as their works are set against the city’s most historic landmarks. This includes Damien Hirst’s “Charity” (2002-2003), which was just unveiled outside the capital’s Gherkin building, is one of the artist’s most iconic pieces representing charity and disability. It depicts a little girl, standing over 22-feet tall, wrapped in metal leg braces clutching her teddy bear and a collection box that reads “Please give generously.” Japanese artist Tomoaki Suzuki also has work in the Gherkin plaza – tiny figures modeled after every day London urbanites. His sculptures are a contemporary twist on the millennia-long tradition of Japanese woodcarving. Suzuki bases each piece on an actual person, who is photographed and then meticulously scaled down to one third of their size, before being colored with acrylic paint. In addition, the debut of Ai Weiwei’s (covered here) public installation will coincide with his September exhibition at the Royal Academy of London. Take a look at more photos of Sculpture in the City 2015 as it comes together below, courtesy of the organizers and founder Stella Ioannou.